Super Mario Bros. 3 as guessed by Entropio

The highpoint of the classic 2D Mario platforming series was it's third game; 'Super Mario Bros. 3'. Almost the best 2D platformer in general, every aspect from the tight controls to the precise level-design is so polished that it could barely be any better. Gameplay was tweaked in subsequent ports, but even in it's original release on the Nintendo Entertainment System, control over Mario was so tight, so natural, it might just be the most fluent game you'll ever play.

The smooth gameplay and control is of course just a supplement to the main course, which is the level-design and it's gameplay mechanics like the power-ups and enemy design. All top quality here, and the cleverness of the levels is what makes the game stand out most. The original release is a challenging game, harder than your average new game even though it wasn't anything really special back then. The game also has an overworld map with bonuses and extra paths to be found. A feature that would sadly depart from the series after this game's successor, for a very long time. The Super Nintendo release included a save feature and improved graphics, a version which would in turn be ported to the GameBoy Advance. Though owning all versions, the latter being the one I likely played most.

The game introduced many locales and gameplay elements that would become a mainstay in the rest of the series and I personally remember this Mario game to be the one that mostly resonates with my young gaming life. This is the game that made me like Mario games. On NES, me and my cousin used to play either 'Duck Hunt', the black-box 'Soccer', or this.

It's hard to come up with something original for the next one lol;

#9: Of this game's eight playable characters, one famous character was replaced by another, less famous character in the beta-version.

That's the one. 

Did that also happen in Diddy Kong Racing? I don't know, could very well be, would be a funny coincidence.

But no, you are pretty close though, and in some way as close as you could be I guess. I think you'll also probably not agree with the answer to this hint being this high in the list though, but I'll just wave that away by saying I'm incredibly biased about this game.

Heh. Yes, Mario Kart 64.

In the beta, the game had Kamek instead of Donkey Kong.

We're down to the top 10 now!

#13 Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy takes us back to a more medieval fantasy setting compared to the more modern settings of VII and VIII. IX is the last game in the main series to feature the ATB system and it introduces a new ability point system that you can assign to each character. This is very useful because you can set your character to being immune to petrify and they will stay like that until you switch off that ability. The story of the game deals with themes such as loss, personal identity and duty and along with a likable cast of characters, has some great impact.

#12 Halo: Combat Evolved

While Halo is a serious space drama now a days, it wasn't always like this, in many ways the first Halo game was pretty light-hearted and followed the plot of some sci-fi B movie. If you watch the developer commentaries you can tell they had a lot of fun making this game, and it's still a lot of fun to play it too. What makes Halo still so great is the vastness and openness of all the levels along with the Elites that make every battle on higher difficulties a challenge.

#11 Metroid Zero Mission

Metroid NES was ahead of its time but it's aged poorly and can be frustrating because of the confusing layout, Samus' inability to shoot enemies on the ground and the lack of a map. Zero Mission rebuilds the entire foundation of the NES game and adds almost everything that made Super Metroid great. It's much less confusing, more fluid and moves at a fast pace, it's the best way to experience the first game in the series. Zero Mission also adds new areas, bosses, an entire post-game area and difficulty settings. If you ever thought that life was just too easy, try a low% hard mode run of Zero Mission.

11- SoTN
10- Chrono Trigger

9- This game was originally a mod for half-Life.
8- Remake of a game that marked the childhoods of gamers and it has some content not seen in the original.
7- Loved by most gamers, even if this was the game which took a certain franchise in a direction which bothered a lot of people later on.
6- Got shit for the way it looked early on, but it's considered one of the best games of the respective franchise.

#9 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 was the game that to me elevated the series from merely good to genuinely great. I had already played the first game, and I like it, but it was far from being great. It had a variety of small gameplay and pacing issues that held it back. Uncharted 2 on the other hand was excellent in every way. The story and characters are great, the gameplay and pacing was vastly improved, the puzzles were much more interesting, and to this day very few games have been able to create the kind of magnificent setpiece moments that Among Thieves gave us. It's an amazing game, and one that I can still go back to play from time to time when I want to just have fun playing an entertaining video game with great action, good story, and memorable characters.

Getting very close to the top now. Here's a hint for my #8:

The first game in a trilogy of JRPG's which is part of a larger franchise that includes a variety of self-contained series. Originally released on PSP, can also be found on Steam these days.

Correct. One of the most recent inclusions in my list.

9: Counterstrike

7: Resident Evil 4

6: Zelda The Wind Waker?